Dragonoid
The Dragonoid (Sub-Race) by T.A. Saunders ©2010 v1.0 Racial Summary Average Height: 7′ (male), 6’5″ (female). Average Weight: 270lbs (male), 180lbs (female). Description: Most will have the skin tone of their humanoid parents, with scales appearing in random places throughout the body, most notably at the cheekbones, chest, hands and feet. These scales will range from gold to dark copper if the dragon father was a Xinntu dragon or silver to dark blue if the father was a Xannti dragon. Eyes will also be humanoid in shape, but favor appropriate draconic colorings. Languages Spoken: Draconic, Quar`Vess (if Xinntu-born), Elvish (if Xannti born) and Common. Racial Age Limit: Roughly 450 to 500 years. Racial Nicknames: Scale-Face, Lizard Love Child, Mistake. NOTE: Dracothar and Dragonoids will always come from either Human, Shei, Asyndi or Xalayi stock. No other combinations, including those with halfbreed sub-races are possible. Crossbreeding Zish with Dragons produces a monstrous being known only as Ziyare, and are exceedingly rare. Appearance Dragonoids differ wildly in appearance, mostly because of their strange mixture of parenting. By all rights, Dragonoids should not exist, yet when Tashalasheeri first discovered the secret of Draconic shapeshifting, a whole new realm of possibility opened up. Because of this, Dragonoids will usually look mostly humanoid with exotic accents of scale along different parts of their body. Commonly these places include: along the cheekbones, chest, hands and feet, but are not limited to those areas. Hair will always favor the human mother, though Dragonoids tend to be sparse in the bodily hair category and rarely have facial hair, if they are male. All Dragonoids have claws rather than nails, but the hands and feet themselves will be humanoid. As previously stated, Dragonoids can differ wildly in appearance. Some Dragonoids will have wings, but not all do; some will have a more reptilian shaped jaw structure or possibly a tail, some will look almost completely humanoid. save for a hint of scales here and there. There are very rare cases where the Dragonoid looks more like a small, bipedal Dragon and holds almost no resemblance to the mother at all, The Dragonoids that look the most humanoid seem to have an easier time blending in with other humanoids; some are quite attractive and gain a sort of exotic status in their communities. The ones that look more like small, bipedal dragons are more often than not, treated with fear, wonder and sometimes hatred as they are more often than not, mistaken for Dracothar, rather than Dragonoid. Racial Abilities and Limitations Racial Abilities Power of Lineage: Dragonoids have superhuman strength on par with Dhampir and can execute feats of strength along the same vein. This also allows the Dragonoid to utilize a Breath Weapon that corresponds with his or her clan. Xinntu use a Cone of Flame, Xannti use Cone of Frost three times per day. The Cone of Flame will ignite enemies for 1d4 rounds, and incinerate all flammable materials in the 60′ area; while the Cone of Frost will freeze all targets for 1d4 rounds within the 60′ area, shattering simple glass items. (+5% to melee attack, +25% to feat of strength checks, Breath Weapon use 3 times per day). Heightened Sorcerous Skill: Dragonoids tend to be extremely proficient with magic of any kind, gaining longevity in effect in all spells where length of time is applicable and an increase in damage effectiveness, where the damage is treated as if cast by a magic-user more skilled than the Dragonoid actually is. (+10% to effective spell hit). Draconic Recovery: Dragonoids are able to slowly regenerate damage over time, including severed limbs. This process is not instantaneous and it can take a few days to recover a leg, tail or wings, a day to recover arms and less to recover fingers. Damage from Bane weapons does not regenerate and must be magically healed. (Regeneration possible, Bane weapon damage does not regenerate). Sorcerous Elemental Attunement: When a Dragonoid is using spells attuned with their element (A Dragonoid of Xinntu parenting is attuned to fire and one of Xannti element is attuned to Ice), they are able to cast such spells at twice their effectiveness. Likewise, spells of the opposite attunement will suffer a half-normal effectiveness. (+10% Spell hit for spells cast of the same attunement as the Dragonoid, -15% Spell hit for spells of the opposite attunement). Racial Weaknesses Curse of Lineage: Dragonoids are susceptible to Bane Weapons that would otherwise effect dragons. Such weapons strike for half the additional effectiveness they would against ordinary dragons. It is worth mentioning that while the above is true, such weapons are still very painful for a Dragonoid to experience! Unavailable Classes Knight (Samurai) Priest (Monk) Seer (Shaman) Warrior (Berserker, Scythe-Witch) Lore The Best Possible Result of Paradox: The Dragonoid Tashalasheeri was the start of it all. With the birth of the abomination, Aryxiar came the knowledge that inter-breeding between Dragon and mortal was possible…even successful to a point. Setting out to create an abomination was never Tasha’s intention; her intense love for Hazaad had forced her to explore the depths of Draconic power and become the first Astral Wyrm to successfully shapeshift not with magic, but with sheer force of will. It was the only way Tasha could fool the other Wyrms and other Asyndi into believing she was actually an Asyndi, rather than a Dragon hidden by magic. But the advantages of her disguise became plainly obvious quickly and a coupling that was never meant to happen came to pass. The knowledge of Draconic Shapeshifting has survived the ages and with it the knowledge that offspring can be produced while in humanoid form. Because Draconic Shapeshifting is an alteration of self, rather than a sorcerously imposed alteration, the genetic truth of the dragon is preserved. Because of this, the ability to create an offspring is fostered, though depending on the parents the results can be far different. When the mother is a humanoid and the father is a dragon, the result is a Dragonoid. It is important to make this distinction because a Dragonoid is genetically only remotely similar to the much larger and much more aggressive Dracothar. Dragonoids are born within the womb of their humanoid parents and take however long that humanoid mother requires to give birth. This development time seems to address an issue of possible mental instability the Dracothar suffer, though so few Dragonoids are ever born, it is difficult to make that determination accurately. There are also far less genetic mutations in Dragonoids, though they can happen. Such mutations can include a cyclopean eye, an extra set of arms or in extremely rare cases, two heads. Because of the greater humanoid influence, Dragonoids are also warm-blooded, rather than cold-blooded as Dracothar are; as such, they are often considered ‘Half-Humanoid’ by Dragons, rather than Half-Dragon. Just with an alteration of parenting, drastic changes are made between the two sub-races, simply because neither was meant to exist in the world, hence there is a lack of genetic symmetry. Dragonoids have gotten the better shake in the deal, as far as being able to integrate into society, but being able to do so is an uphill battle from the womb to the grave for the hybrid race. Level of acceptance from humanoid races varies between borderline hostile to cordial, while Dragons themselves are at best, aloof with their Dragonoid kin. With so few Dragonoids in the world, they are considered a rarity (or an aberration depending on your viewpoint) and none presently hold any positions of power on Imarel, nor have they organized in any fashion to represent themselves as a people. This has further enshrouded them in mystique, fear and curiosity as a race. Most prefer taking humanoid mates and as such, their children end up looking almost entirely humanoid, with perhaps one physical trait carrying on. No Dragonoid has ever successfully mated with a Dragon, that anybody knows of, nor is it known whether such a coupling could conceive a viable offspring. The Life of a Dragonoid It is somewhat rare that a Xinntu Dragon father will acknowledge a Dragonoid son or daughter, while in some cases the hybrid child is embraced, most often the father leaves the pregnant mother to fend for herself rather than take responsibility for creating an abomination. In Xinntu society, it is frowned upon to fall sway to one’s passions and to couple with a humanoid, especially when there are so few dragons left anywhere. However, the father is expected to take care of the offspring, despite the fact few do. Most Xinntu Dragonoids are the result of a moment of passion between a Xinntu in humanoid form and their chosen humanoid mate. Sometimes this humanoid female is a chosen mate, sometimes not. In the cases where the Dragon has mated himself to the humanoid female, he will accept the child, albeit begrudgingly. In cases where the child was born due to a tryst between a Dragon and a humanoid female, the dragon will often disavow having any sort of dealing with the female at all or encourage her to place the child up for adoption. In the most rare of circumstances where a Dragonoid is born to a Dragonrider team, they are retired as a team and given a stipend so they may take care of and raise the hybrid child properly. There have been no cases where Dragonoids have become Dragonriders themselves; It is impossible to find a Dragon that will take a Dragonoid as a rider. Xannti Dragons consider their Dragonoids born slaves and raise them with that belief. They are used to act as intermediaries between themselves and other races or as slave-handlers of other races they have conquered. Much with the case of the Van`Su, the Xannti Dragonoids are not treated badly; they are simply expected to submit to the order of things and if they don’t, they’re eaten. It would not be the first Xannti father who has eaten his own Dragonoid child out of some willful outburst on the child’s part. This is perfectly acceptable behavior for the war-like Xannti, who prize strength and discipline over all things. Xannti Dragonoids can come about as a result of a tryst between a Xannti Dragon and a humanoid female slave he finds particularly pleasing, but more commonly, these Dragonoids are bred into conquered populations. When they are born (usually to the horror of the mother, having never realized she slept with a Dragon in a changed form) the father returns, then reveals his true form. The mother that raises the Dragonoid child is given preferential treatment above other people of that conquered town or city, in the way of wealth and comfort. The mother becomes a sort of pet to the dragon and many times, after the oppression, starvation and suffering of war, this option is more often than not are taken with zeal. Those mothers that reject the Xannti Dragon’s kindness are usually eaten on the spot and the child goes into the care of the Dragon’s personal slaves, who are either usually Humans or Van`Su. They tend to the child and ensure that he or she is properly educated in the ways of magic, politics and war so when the day comes for them to take their place in Xannti society, they are properly prepared. Despite being slaves to their Dragon fathers, Xannti Dragonoids are fiercely loyal usually and take great relish in their position in life. Category:Races